Indiana University Athletics
Previewing Saturday's Crossroads Classic Meeting with Butler
12/18/2020 11:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head coach Archie Miller, redshirt junior Race Thompson and sophomore Armaan Franklin met with the media on Friday to preview tomorrow's Crossroads Classic matchup against Butler. Below are videos and a transcript of the availability.
Head Coach Archie Miller
Opening statement
It is the finish to our finals week here. It is always an exhausting week with school. When you add in the testing protocol and finals we have tried to be mindful of our guys and try to keep them fresh this week as we head into the Butler game. Finishing up this week, we are excited to get back to playing. We have a lot of respect for Butler and for this event. It will definitely feel different without the crowd. That is part of what makes it so special, so that is a little disappointing. All and all, when you are playing against Butler, tremendous amount of respect for those guys. We know the game is going to be absolutely a bear and it's a great non-conference opponent for us as we finish up our non-conference slate. To be able to get all seven non-conference games before we head to conference was essential to us. We feel like our schedule strength is as good as anyone in the country and it has prepared us for the long grind. We are excited to play, get back to work and get back on the floor.
On the Crossroads Classic…
There has been a lot of talk around it. With the leagues around America, in particular the ACC and the Big Ten going to 20. I think there has been some real discussion, the Crossroads could be something that is hard to pull off. In dealing with the games and understanding how special they've been and the environment is, it is obviously something that we want to keep ourselves in the picture, especially in Indianapolis and Bankers Life. We will see how it goes. We are committed to it until it finishes and then we will have to see what every team is going to do and what is best for them. We are also going to have to do what is best for us and non-conference scheduling flexibility and strength has all been in play. This is a little different, but as we head into the next couple of years, our schedules and trying to get marquee home and away games as this pandemic ends and some things like that. There is going to be a lot of talk and discussion with it, but we are in it until it is not anymore or we will see what we can do. Indianapolis is definitely a part of our philosophy in terms of scheduling and being in Bankers Life.
On play of the defense…
We spent some time on our system in the offseason. We have some versatility to it that we haven't had in the past. I think in general we have some guys really working on that end of the floor. It has been well documented that Armaan has taken it a step up defensively. He has given us another backcourt guy out there to trust. Rob has been solid since he has been here. To have two guys out there solidly on defense, especially on the perimeter has helped us. We have some versatility. Race has been one of our best team defenders here in the last year and a half. He really helps the communication and the physicality and more importantly keeping Trayce in a mode where he is not running around guarding a lot of different types of players. As a freshman he guarded a lot of fours with another big on the floor, which gave us some problems at times. We are a little more versatile as I think we have a better system to adjust. I think we have some guys doing a nice job individually. Our effort level has been good. Our physicality and our finishing ability hasn't been as good as it needs to be. That is something we have talked a lot amount in the last couple of weeks, especially finishing possessions on the glass, that is one of our big weaknesses. We are going to have to keep getting better. I don't pay attention to the statistics or the rankings or anything like that. I know we are going to have to hang our hat on that and it's going to have to be a part of what we are doing. Right now, being solid on that end of the floor has given us a chance early in the season vs. good teams to have a chance to win the game. You work through different lineups and combinations and I also think our rotation helps. We are not playing 11 guys. Our younger guys are having a chance to work against good teams and get sped up in their process in terms of their improvement. As they get better, we will get better. I think we have more versatility. I think we have some guys individually improved and I think we are a little more sound. We still have a long way to go though. Butler is definitely going to challenge us on Saturday in a different way.
On what it means to be able to play every non-conference game…
MILLER: We have our fingers crossed every time we hit game week as we start to go through our own protocols here. The fact that we have played a lot of our games away from home has been one of the big things that has been nerve wracking. As you get ready to go to the Maui Invitational, you are not sure how that is going to work with eight teams in one venue. I think I said this after, but the Maui Invitational was an unbelievable blueprint for how you can be successful in those types of situations. Hopefully the NCAA Tournament can communicate with those guys because you had all eight teams, in one spot, one hotel, testing every day, and everyone away from one another. Very rarely did you have interactions with other groups of people. I thought being able to pull that off was monumental and just an unbelievable task. As you get done with that, you have to go on the road and play Florida State. You cross fingers that you do not have any problems. Our two home games with Tennessee Tech and North Alabama, it is right up until game day. You just wait and cross your fingers that there is not anything that is going to happen. We are very fortunate in that regard. Butler has been through the gambit here in the last three or four weeks which has been unfortunate for them. They got back on the floor Wednesday, not at full strength, but they did get back out on the floor. It looks to me like they have a unit that is continuing to get healthier and better which is good for those guys. Looks like Saturday will be a go unless something happens between now and then. Our guys have tried to stay diligent in what we are doing. I give our medical team and the Big Ten a lot of credit with what they are requiring us to do. It has kept us on our toes. It is the luck of the draw. There are teams that have missed four and five games that have had to be rescheduled or canceled so we have been lucky in that regard, that we have been to pull ours off. I think that will go a long way as we head into conference play. As I look at our league, I do not think a Big Ten team, since basketball has started, has paused game action or have missed games. To me, it is a great sign as we finish up this week and head into conference play. Knock on wood but we probably will deal with some hiccups, but in general it looks like our league is setup to have a full slate and get a great conference season in with the best league in the country.
On the sacrifice and discipline that the team has shown in the past couple of months to make the season possible…
MILLER: It is very taxing, especially for young people. We are up every morning, since the beginning or middle of September, getting everybody in our group tested between 7:30 and 8 o'clock. I think you guys know for young guys to have a schedule like that every single day where you are getting up in the morning to come and get tested, it wears on you. It is the early mornings, you have a lot going on with school, you have practices, but our guys have hung in there every day. Tim Garl, Larry Rink, and our administration have continued to emphasize how important it is to not miss and to not have slip ups. It keeps you on your toes. You have to try and be diligent with what you are doing off the floor because you know what a positive can lead to moving forward. Especially in the Big Ten with the stringent protocols that go into our league and what that requires our guys to do. It is taxing mentally more than anything. It is a lot of early mornings, seven days a week. To me it has to be done and it also goes a long way in terms of your team wanting to be successful. The better you handle some of these things that you are being asked to do, that are not the most comfortable, the better you are going to be in terms of having a successful opportunity to complete your season the best you can. Not that we are not going to deal with problems like every other team in the country, but it is definitely something that I think is an added element of stress, weight, and anxiety every day that you have to do. Those early mornings, every single day, seven days a week for several month, you get used to it but at the same time it is not the normal deal where you get a day off every week for the guys, it is the crack of dawn every day. Like today, we are already finished with our first round of testing, we are going to practice here in a little bit and we will have another round of testing at 8 o'clock tonight, then tomorrow morning because it is obviously an early game. It is something that needs to be done and we all know it is very important. I just cannot say this enough, that the Big Ten, their care and extra thought process has set up our players and our league up to have a great chance at consistency, good seasons, and good safety. It is unprecedented but it is also something that needs to be done.
On the play of Armaan Franklin…
That is the thing we have stressed the most with Armaan from the beginning of the season on to the end. It's very little about his offense, but consistently how he can help us win in so many other ways. He has grabbed on to that. He is like an offensive player with the shot and a defensive player preparing right every single way in a guy that understand his role and does it every day. He gets confidence in doing that. Early in the year he has worked through a role. He has embraced a couple things early that are going to help our team. He has shown how effective it is in our wins and I think that has played a role in his confidence that he is out there playing the game the right way. He shot the ball particularly well here last game and it was great to see because he is spending a lot of time on that as well. Guys that work like he does deserve the opportunity to see those rewards. I think Armaan is one of the most improved players, not only from last year, but from the beginning of this year into month after month that our league has and especially our team has. He has continued to grow, he really can, he can continue to evolve. I feel like Armaan, if his mind is right, because he is such an intelligent kid and he is so smart in terms of his IG that as he continues to embrace the little things, as he continues to take pride in those things some of the other things that stand out on the stat sheet will start to evolve even more. He is playing a big role on this team. He is very important to our team success. He has evolved into a guy that I think we can rely on, not only on both ends of the floor, but in big moments to put the ball in his hands as well. He has shown the ability to drive and get fouled. He has shown the ability to score in different ways. He has also been very accountable, in terms of me as the coach and our staff not worrying about him and getting the job done in many areas. He is rebounding the ball at an extremely high rate for a defensive guard, which is huge for this team. He is defending other teams' best players at times and doing a great job. To me, we have to continue to evolve him on offense and put him in a situation to be more successful, because I think he is also starting to grow on that end as well.
Indiana Players Armaan Franklin and Race Thompson
Head Coach Archie Miller
Opening statement
It is the finish to our finals week here. It is always an exhausting week with school. When you add in the testing protocol and finals we have tried to be mindful of our guys and try to keep them fresh this week as we head into the Butler game. Finishing up this week, we are excited to get back to playing. We have a lot of respect for Butler and for this event. It will definitely feel different without the crowd. That is part of what makes it so special, so that is a little disappointing. All and all, when you are playing against Butler, tremendous amount of respect for those guys. We know the game is going to be absolutely a bear and it's a great non-conference opponent for us as we finish up our non-conference slate. To be able to get all seven non-conference games before we head to conference was essential to us. We feel like our schedule strength is as good as anyone in the country and it has prepared us for the long grind. We are excited to play, get back to work and get back on the floor.
On the Crossroads Classic…
There has been a lot of talk around it. With the leagues around America, in particular the ACC and the Big Ten going to 20. I think there has been some real discussion, the Crossroads could be something that is hard to pull off. In dealing with the games and understanding how special they've been and the environment is, it is obviously something that we want to keep ourselves in the picture, especially in Indianapolis and Bankers Life. We will see how it goes. We are committed to it until it finishes and then we will have to see what every team is going to do and what is best for them. We are also going to have to do what is best for us and non-conference scheduling flexibility and strength has all been in play. This is a little different, but as we head into the next couple of years, our schedules and trying to get marquee home and away games as this pandemic ends and some things like that. There is going to be a lot of talk and discussion with it, but we are in it until it is not anymore or we will see what we can do. Indianapolis is definitely a part of our philosophy in terms of scheduling and being in Bankers Life.
On play of the defense…
We spent some time on our system in the offseason. We have some versatility to it that we haven't had in the past. I think in general we have some guys really working on that end of the floor. It has been well documented that Armaan has taken it a step up defensively. He has given us another backcourt guy out there to trust. Rob has been solid since he has been here. To have two guys out there solidly on defense, especially on the perimeter has helped us. We have some versatility. Race has been one of our best team defenders here in the last year and a half. He really helps the communication and the physicality and more importantly keeping Trayce in a mode where he is not running around guarding a lot of different types of players. As a freshman he guarded a lot of fours with another big on the floor, which gave us some problems at times. We are a little more versatile as I think we have a better system to adjust. I think we have some guys doing a nice job individually. Our effort level has been good. Our physicality and our finishing ability hasn't been as good as it needs to be. That is something we have talked a lot amount in the last couple of weeks, especially finishing possessions on the glass, that is one of our big weaknesses. We are going to have to keep getting better. I don't pay attention to the statistics or the rankings or anything like that. I know we are going to have to hang our hat on that and it's going to have to be a part of what we are doing. Right now, being solid on that end of the floor has given us a chance early in the season vs. good teams to have a chance to win the game. You work through different lineups and combinations and I also think our rotation helps. We are not playing 11 guys. Our younger guys are having a chance to work against good teams and get sped up in their process in terms of their improvement. As they get better, we will get better. I think we have more versatility. I think we have some guys individually improved and I think we are a little more sound. We still have a long way to go though. Butler is definitely going to challenge us on Saturday in a different way.
On what it means to be able to play every non-conference game…
MILLER: We have our fingers crossed every time we hit game week as we start to go through our own protocols here. The fact that we have played a lot of our games away from home has been one of the big things that has been nerve wracking. As you get ready to go to the Maui Invitational, you are not sure how that is going to work with eight teams in one venue. I think I said this after, but the Maui Invitational was an unbelievable blueprint for how you can be successful in those types of situations. Hopefully the NCAA Tournament can communicate with those guys because you had all eight teams, in one spot, one hotel, testing every day, and everyone away from one another. Very rarely did you have interactions with other groups of people. I thought being able to pull that off was monumental and just an unbelievable task. As you get done with that, you have to go on the road and play Florida State. You cross fingers that you do not have any problems. Our two home games with Tennessee Tech and North Alabama, it is right up until game day. You just wait and cross your fingers that there is not anything that is going to happen. We are very fortunate in that regard. Butler has been through the gambit here in the last three or four weeks which has been unfortunate for them. They got back on the floor Wednesday, not at full strength, but they did get back out on the floor. It looks to me like they have a unit that is continuing to get healthier and better which is good for those guys. Looks like Saturday will be a go unless something happens between now and then. Our guys have tried to stay diligent in what we are doing. I give our medical team and the Big Ten a lot of credit with what they are requiring us to do. It has kept us on our toes. It is the luck of the draw. There are teams that have missed four and five games that have had to be rescheduled or canceled so we have been lucky in that regard, that we have been to pull ours off. I think that will go a long way as we head into conference play. As I look at our league, I do not think a Big Ten team, since basketball has started, has paused game action or have missed games. To me, it is a great sign as we finish up this week and head into conference play. Knock on wood but we probably will deal with some hiccups, but in general it looks like our league is setup to have a full slate and get a great conference season in with the best league in the country.
On the sacrifice and discipline that the team has shown in the past couple of months to make the season possible…
MILLER: It is very taxing, especially for young people. We are up every morning, since the beginning or middle of September, getting everybody in our group tested between 7:30 and 8 o'clock. I think you guys know for young guys to have a schedule like that every single day where you are getting up in the morning to come and get tested, it wears on you. It is the early mornings, you have a lot going on with school, you have practices, but our guys have hung in there every day. Tim Garl, Larry Rink, and our administration have continued to emphasize how important it is to not miss and to not have slip ups. It keeps you on your toes. You have to try and be diligent with what you are doing off the floor because you know what a positive can lead to moving forward. Especially in the Big Ten with the stringent protocols that go into our league and what that requires our guys to do. It is taxing mentally more than anything. It is a lot of early mornings, seven days a week. To me it has to be done and it also goes a long way in terms of your team wanting to be successful. The better you handle some of these things that you are being asked to do, that are not the most comfortable, the better you are going to be in terms of having a successful opportunity to complete your season the best you can. Not that we are not going to deal with problems like every other team in the country, but it is definitely something that I think is an added element of stress, weight, and anxiety every day that you have to do. Those early mornings, every single day, seven days a week for several month, you get used to it but at the same time it is not the normal deal where you get a day off every week for the guys, it is the crack of dawn every day. Like today, we are already finished with our first round of testing, we are going to practice here in a little bit and we will have another round of testing at 8 o'clock tonight, then tomorrow morning because it is obviously an early game. It is something that needs to be done and we all know it is very important. I just cannot say this enough, that the Big Ten, their care and extra thought process has set up our players and our league up to have a great chance at consistency, good seasons, and good safety. It is unprecedented but it is also something that needs to be done.
On the play of Armaan Franklin…
That is the thing we have stressed the most with Armaan from the beginning of the season on to the end. It's very little about his offense, but consistently how he can help us win in so many other ways. He has grabbed on to that. He is like an offensive player with the shot and a defensive player preparing right every single way in a guy that understand his role and does it every day. He gets confidence in doing that. Early in the year he has worked through a role. He has embraced a couple things early that are going to help our team. He has shown how effective it is in our wins and I think that has played a role in his confidence that he is out there playing the game the right way. He shot the ball particularly well here last game and it was great to see because he is spending a lot of time on that as well. Guys that work like he does deserve the opportunity to see those rewards. I think Armaan is one of the most improved players, not only from last year, but from the beginning of this year into month after month that our league has and especially our team has. He has continued to grow, he really can, he can continue to evolve. I feel like Armaan, if his mind is right, because he is such an intelligent kid and he is so smart in terms of his IG that as he continues to embrace the little things, as he continues to take pride in those things some of the other things that stand out on the stat sheet will start to evolve even more. He is playing a big role on this team. He is very important to our team success. He has evolved into a guy that I think we can rely on, not only on both ends of the floor, but in big moments to put the ball in his hands as well. He has shown the ability to drive and get fouled. He has shown the ability to score in different ways. He has also been very accountable, in terms of me as the coach and our staff not worrying about him and getting the job done in many areas. He is rebounding the ball at an extremely high rate for a defensive guard, which is huge for this team. He is defending other teams' best players at times and doing a great job. To me, we have to continue to evolve him on offense and put him in a situation to be more successful, because I think he is also starting to grow on that end as well.
Indiana Players Armaan Franklin and Race Thompson
Players Mentioned
Guard
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